The invention relates to a method and a device for handling vials in a freeze dryer.
A freeze dryer is used for freeze drying pharmaceutical fluids that are contained in vials. The freeze dryer comprises a freeze drying chamber having multiple shelves that are arranged spaced apart above each other, wherein the shelves each carry one container pack of compactly and orderly arranged, mutually abutting containers. In a typical freeze drying facility multiple freeze dryers are positioned along a horizontal rail track inside a clean room, wherein a loading vehicle moves along the rail track for loading and unloading the vials. The loading vehicle comprises a carrier plate having substantially the same size as a shelf and is configured for per shelf transferring the sole container pack between the shelf and the carrier plate in one single stroke.
The clean room of the freeze drying facility has to comply with high standards regarding cleaning and sanitization, and therefore the available floor space has to be occupied in an efficient manner. However, in the known freeze drying facility the carrier plate of the loading vehicle has substantially the same size as a shelf. Therefore the loading vehicle itself and the suitable rail track for the loading vehicle occupies a relatively large portion of the available floor space. Moreover, the rail track has to be positioned extremely accurate with respect to the freeze dryers in order to ensure that the carrier can be properly aligned with each of the shelves. In particular when the freeze drying facility is extended, the positioning of added freeze dryers with respect to an added rail track portion is time consuming.
It is an object of the invention to provide provisions for a freeze drying facility to occupy the available floor space of the clean room in an efficient manner.
It is an object of the invention to provide provisions for a freeze drying facility in order to extend the freeze drying facility in an efficient manner.